Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrives in North Korea for official visit

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Pyongyang for an official visit on Nov. 29, amid deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

After arriving in Pyongyang, Belousov was greeted by his North Korean counterpart No Kwang-chol, and members of North Korea's military, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Belousov will participate in meetings with "the military and political leadership of the DPRK," it added.

Belousov's visit to Pyongyang comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to the hermit country in June, where Russia formally deepened it military and economic cooperation with Pyongyang.

Pyongyang is believed to have dispatched over 10,000 troops to aid Russia's war, with the first clashes with Ukrainian forces reported in Kursk Oblast. North Korea has also become Moscow's leading supplier of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.

A source with Ukraine's General Staff also indicated to Reuters on Nov. 23 that the majority of North Korean soldiers were finalizing training.

In recent months, Russia has focused on regaining territory lost in the country's Kursk Oblast following a surprise Ukrainian incursion into the region in August. According to the source in Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine has lost over 40 percent of the territory it previously gained in Kursk Oblast due to Russian counterattacks.

NATO allies believe that Putin is aiming to recapture territory lost in Kursk Oblast before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the Telegraph reported, hoping to gain leverage in future peace negotiations.

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The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

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